This is the first time I’ve attempted the Bobcat Trail
Marathon in Burr Oak State Park near Glouster, Ohio. I really had no idea what to expect, I have
never run any trails in the area, I am still struggling with an injured ankle,
and I have not trained consistently since August. Still I was confident I could complete the
challenge, it’s only 26.2 miles.
It was a nice morning about 40 degrees, ended up perfect
weather for what I wore. It was supposed
to get into the 50’s but I doubt it ever did.
It had rained most of the day before so the course, which had very few
road sections, was wet but only really muddy in a few places. The leaves were down and still wet making it
both slick and hard to see obstacles on course.
I think I slipped and tripped
more at this race than all the trail runs I’ve done in my 4 years of trail
running. I thought most of the course
was runnable the hardest sections being:
1. The 1st
4 miles, which you don’t notice because you’re fresh and full of adrenalin
2. Miles 14 and 15 seem to be lots of climbing.
3. Miles 22 thru 25 always going up or down.
This is a great course around a lake; the lake is almost
always in view on your right side. In
fact just about the half-way point they tease you by taking right by the lodge
where the start finish is, if only that 100 yards or so of water wasn’t
there. The course is hilly or maybe that
is just my perspective being a flatlander, but from my experience this course
was much harder than the Tecumseh Trail Marathon but comparable to Mohican, I
had it at 7600ft of gain and loss.
The mile 18 aid station (when did water stops become aid
stations?) was manned by the Buckeye Trail Volunteers. I have heard of the buckeye trail but didn’t
really know what it was until packet pick up where the Buckeye Trail Volunteers
had some information and were more than happy to talk with us. They did not know of one and I’ve since checked
no one has posted a fastest known time for the 1444 mile trail. Maybe I could take a month or so and do a FKT,
new bucket list item.
As for my race, I went out thinking 4:30 as primary goal,
but thought 5 hours was more likely. The
first half I ran well and was near pace at the half way point (about 2:16), but
my knee was really starting to hurt and because of my cold I was kind of wheezing
a little bit. I tried to push thru but
by 15 miles I was hurting too bad and needed a break, my pace slowed to 15 and
16 minute miles and I started to wonder if I was going to beat 6 hours. At the mile 18 aid station I stopped asked
for some ice and rubbed my knee for a while before continuing. Something worked, I starting picking it up
again about mile 20. After the last aid
station at mile 21 I sat in with a group of five and ran with them for a while,
5 became 4, then 2, and then I went off alone not seeing any of them again
until the finish. I was feeling pretty
good considering and was running much better catching a few people and passing
them easily. When I finally made it to
the road I knew it was downhill to the finish, the friend I was with was there
(he finished 35 minutes earlier) than I was greeted by my youngest who for the
first time ran me down the hill (picture above) and then by my middle daughter,
who crews and comes to most of my races ran me across the finish line (1st
pix). I crossed in 5:22:50 (52 out of
114).
This is what I have come to call my Mohican strategy. I run a good first half, the next ¼ I suffer
and bleed time, only to make a miraculous recovery and finish strong the last ¼.
We all when back to the cottage and finished the day with
some pumpkin pancakes than a mad dash home so we could salvage Halloween for
the girls (Which should have been on Thursday but was canceled for bad weather
which never really came).
Great fun race, I may be back, I know I left something on
the course and could do much better, plus I really had a good time.
